He said Sunday he recently visited Cuba "and they have soaps there. But they're not capitalist soap operas."

Cuba does make some of its own programming. One of Sunday's offerings was "Our History: I Die for the Revolution." But its state-run television channels also airs Brazilian soaps, Walt Disney cartoons and programs such as "Desperate Housewives."

Chavez-allied producers made a 2004 soap opera called "Love Inside the Barrio" that emphasized socialist values but failed to draw many viewers.